Collapsible cartons



8, 5 F. w. WAGNER, JR

COLLAPSIBLE CARTONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 5, 1953 ATTOR N E Y5 Nov. 8, 1955 F. 'w. WAGNER, JR

COLLAPSIBLE CARTONS Filed Jan. 5, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INYENTOR ATTORNEYS 2,723,074 Fatented Nov; 8, 1955 COLLAPSIBLE CARTON S Application January 5, 1953, Serial No. 329,683 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-41) This invention relates to collapsible receptacles and has for its general object the provision of receptacles of the class described which are of parallelepiped configuration, preferably made of cardboard, pasteboard, or corrugated board, which are adapted to be collapsed by sharply folding diagonally opposite corners of the side walls, while the pairs of side wall panels between said corners come together in substantially face-to-face relation, and the bottom panel is formed of several laminated flaps or buckles and divided into sections which fold inwardly and finally lie flatwise in contacting layers between the flattened side wall panels, whereby the collapsed carton or receptacle may be stacked, shipped, and handled easily and economically.

In its preferred embodiment the invention contemplates the provision of a collapsible carton of this type which is sturdy in construction for heavy-duty service, which may be readily stacked, which is easy to set up without the use of tools or requiring special skill, and which when set up may be locked against collapsing. For the attainment of these purposes, the novel box or carton is double-walled, has an insertable reinforcing bottom pad or liner panel which locks the walls against inadvertent collapsing. The carton is provided with four substantially triangular bottom sections, and a pair of oppositely disposed sections creased for folding, each having an area fixedly secured to an area of the adjacent bottom panel section of the other pair of sections. The receptacle is set up from collapsed condition by merely pulling the flattened corner portions of the side walls apart until the rectangular horizontal sectional configuration is restored, thecreased and folded bottom sections unfolding and flattening out at the same time, and the uncreased remaining sections swinging past each other to interlock and form the inner layer of the double bottom of the carton. Finally, the rectangular reinforcing pad is inserted and this member securely locks the receptacle against inadvertent collapsing and also insures that the inner layers of the double side walls remain in place without inward bulging or warping.

The carton proper is preferably made of a one-piece blank, and a flanged cover of any suitable construction may be provided, especially when the receptacles are to be stacked one upon the other.

The receptacles provided by the present invention may be put to a variety of uses, for shipping and storage of various articles and materials; and the particular embodiment described finds especial utility as a file transfer cabinet or a dead storage cabinet for correspondence and other filed papers or documents.

Other objects and features of novelty including the provision of a novel unitary blank from which the carton is made, will be apparent from the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank from which .the novel receptacle is formed;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the appearance of the blank after the double side wall panels have been folded together;

Figure 3 is a top plan view showing an intermediate position of the parts of the partially folded receptacle blank;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the receptacle showing the blank folded to complete position with the edge flaps joined'and the bottom flaps overlapped and secured together;

Figure 5 is a view in transverse vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a similar view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a view in perspective of the finished receptacle in partly collapsed condition; and

Figure 8 is a view in elevation of the complete collapsed receptacle.

Before describing the novel carton in its condition as set up and ready for use, it will be well to first describe the blank from which the carton is formed and then trace step by step the process of folding and assembling the receptacle.

Referring to Figure l of the drawings the blank from which the carton is made is of one-piece construction and comprises the principal wall panels A, B, C and D, and the supplemental or lining Wall panels A1, B1, C1 and D1, these respective sets of panels being aligned and the two groups joined by the scored folding line a. The separate panels of each group are themselves bounded by the score lines 17, c and d. For purposes to be later described, the supplemental panel A1 is cut away at L and a flap or tab J is added to the principal panel D and hinged thereto along'tlie score line e.

Extending from the edges of the main side wall panels A, B, C and D in the opposite direction from the supplemental panels A1, B1, C1 and D1, are the roughly triangular flaps or sections E, F, G and H which combine to form a double bottom wall for the receptacle.

The alternate sections E and G are similar in shape having blunt outer points and .small supplemental flaps E1 and G1 pivoted thereto along their hypotenuse edges as at j and n. The other two panels F and H are divided by folding score lines In and p to form sub-areas F and F2, and H1 and H2. The bottom sections of E, F, G and H are hingedly secured to the edges of the main side wall panels A, B, C and D along the score lines 1, g, h and i. The outer marginal area of the main wall panel A which is of similar dimensions to the flap J, is designated K. The extent of the area of the portion K will appear from other figures of drawing.

Figure 2 of the drawings shows the first step in assembling the novel receptacle, this step comprising folding the group of supplemental side wall panels A1, B1, C1 and D1 along the line a to overlie the main wall panels A, B, C and D. In this figure, the narrow single thick ness areas I and K clearly appear.

The next step in setting up the receptacle comprises bringing the side wall portions of the receptacle into complete continuous circular condition whereby the remote edges of panel A and of panel D are brought together with the flap K overlying the bent flap J. The flaps J and K are then secured together by stitching or by stapling as at w. Although in the intermediate stage suggested in Figure 3, the bottom flaps E, F, G and H are shown as partially folded together, the junction of the flaps J and K may be effected with the flaps E, F, G and H extending lengthwise, and in that case they would not appear in the view shown in Figure 3. Actually, the stitching of the flaps J and K may be most readily effected by flattening out the tubular blank with the walls A and D completely overlying the walls B and C with the flaps J and K overlapping, somewhat as suggested in the view shown in Figure 8 of the completed structure.

However, in any event, the next step in the process of producing the receptacle comprises interfolding the flaps E, F, G and H so that the flaps E and G come together to provide complementary portions of the upper layer of the bottom wall and overlie the flaps F and H which together comprise the lower layer of said bottom wall of the receptacle. The sections E and G are separated by the zig-zag line x. The triangular sections F and 11 have their hypotenuse edges meeting at the division line y. At this time, the staples .r and t are driven to securely unite the inner areas of panels E and G to the areas F2 and H2 of the sections F and H. The assembly of the box is now completed and the receptacle may be provided with a lid or cover (not shown) which preferably is of the type having downturned marginal flanges which embrace the upper edges of the side walls of the carton.

In many cases, the weight of the contents of the carton will suffice to prevent inadvertent buckling of the bottom panels and collapsing of the carton, but in the preferred form of the invention, a separate reinforcing and bracing plate or panel M of substantially the same area and configuration as the bottom wall, is inserted as shown in Figures and 6, so that it rests upon the inner side of the bottom panel and its marginal edges abut the lower portions of the lining wall panels A1, B1, C1 and D1, and serve to prevent inward bulging of these lining panels as well as bracing the entire carton against collapsing.

The purposeful collapsing of the carton for shipping or storage, is readily effected by removing the reinforcing pad M and applying pressure upon diagonally opposite corners of the container in directions indicated by the arrows X and Y, these corners being represented by the score or folding lines 0 and e. As this pressure is applied the upper bottom sections E and G swing upwardly and the other bottom sections F and H buckle along their median lines m and 2, due to the rigid connections of the panels E and G with the areas F2 and H2. At the same time the triangular fiaps E1 and G1 bend downwardly along their fold lines j and n and ultimately fold back against the panel sections E and G as the box is completely collapsed. Similarly, the areas F1 and F2 fold against each other and the areas H1 and H2 follow the same procedure. During the initial stages of the collapsing process, the hypotenuse edges s and 1 move along each other in sliding contact until just beyond the point shown in Figure 7, whereupon the sections E and G depart from each other and occupy a flat position between the respective folded halves of the car-ton.

In setting up a folded carton, the corners c and e are merely pulled apart and the flaps follow the reverse pro.- cedure until the bottom panel is completed as shown in Figure 4, whereupon the bracing plate M is inserted, the carton filled, and the cover applied.

If greater strength at the corners of the receptacle is required, and if a slight interior bulge is of no great concern to the user, the flap I can be made of double thickness just as in the case of the main portions of the side walls, by omitting the cutting off of the area to the right of panel D1 as seen in Figures 1 and 2. This will have the effect of doubly reinforcing the flap I.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiment illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A collapsible carton comprising four vertical side walls and a sectional bottom wall, each of said four side walls comprising a rectangular panel hingedly connected with the next adjacent side wall panel, four approximately triangular bottom wall panel sections each hinged along one of its side edges to the lower edge of one of said side wall panels, each of said bottom wall panel sections overlapping two adjacent sections when the carton is set up to provide a bottom panel of double thickness throughout its entire area, means for securing one opposing pair of said panels at least along the edges adjacent the periphery of the box to the other opposing pair whereby said first pair has no unattached edges adjacent the periphery of the box, said first pair being creased for folding along a line extending from a corner of the carton in the direction toward the diagonally opposite corner, whereby when the other two carton corners are pressed inwardly toward each other the two creased sections buckle upwardly, the other two sections secured respectively to the creased sections swing upwardly along their hinged edges, and the side walls and bottom panel sections come together in a laminar flat condition.

2. The collapsible carton as set forth in claim 1, in which a reinforcing and bracing plate is disposed within the carton upon the bottom thereof, which plate is substantially coterminous with the bottom panel, whereby the carton is locked against inadvertent collapsing.

3. The box as in claim 1 wherein said first pair of panels together form one thicknessvof the box bottom and the other pair form a superposed thickness.

4. The box as in claim 1 wherein said other pair of panels are truncated at the end thereof remote from their hinged edges and said first pair are provided with small triangular tabs, the hypotenuses of which are coextensive with a portion of the hypotenuses of said panels immediately adjacent the hinged edges of said panels, said triangular tabs being similar in shape to the portion removed at the truncated end of the panels whereby the panels when co-planar completely occupy the bottom area of the box.

References Cited in he file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,509,735 Laubersheirner Sept. 23, 1 924 2,136,184 Fellows Nov. 8, 1 938 2,187,304 Farmer Jan. 16, 1940 2,220,388 Beaman Nov. 5, 1940 2,364,829 Tichenor Dec. 12, 1944 2,465,324 De M-ian Mar. 22, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 345,682 Great Britain Apr. 2, 1931 

